In The Company of Sadists
by TraipsingExodus
Summary: Provoke them.


_Sip. Blacklance Cyser. Water, Bandlebee Honey, Saccharomyces noxianus produced ethanols, fresh juice from malus noxianus. Fermented. Simple, clean, refreshing._

There is an argument. Talon is upset. "The fear that grips them the second they realize you're right behind them. That stunned silence broken by the sweet sound of blades tearing flesh. And the second they turn about, if they even, more blades. An explosion of them, and as they clutch at their wounds, lost and confused, the blades collapse and they topple as they are run through yet again." He smirks. "They know what hit them. They just don't know how. Or where. The only witness lies dead, and they knew nothing but fear the entire time. That is the perfect kill." He sips from his flagon and sets it down on the table. "Your method is showy. Showy is obvious. And obvious is often _dead. _Terrible choice for someone who's a proud sadist."

_Sip. Blacklance Cyser. Water, Bandlebee Honey, Saccharomyces noxianus produced ethanols, fresh juice from malus noxianus. Fermented. Simple, clean, refreshing. Apples were overripe._

Katarina's face is furious. "Listen you twitchy urchin, I don't need to use invisibility as a _crutch_." The smirk vanishes from Talon's face. "I can get in without any issue whatsoever and strike even more fear because once I'm seen, the Death Lotus lives up to it's namesake. And if one falls, _they all will_. You can only scare one poor fool, and for how long? A few seconds? I can make every last one of them quake as the screams of pain cut short at their height get closer to whoever has the _wonderful fortune to be last in line._" She slams her fist on the table and points at Talon menacingly. "So don't sit there and insult my methods. When you can bring an entire team to it's knees in fear of so much as a glance..."

_Sip. Blacklance Cyser. Water, Bandlebee Honey, Saccharomyces noxianus produced ethanols, fresh juice from malus noxianus. Fermented. Simple, clean, refreshing. Bandlebee honey is sweeter than Noxian._

"Please dear sister," hisses Cassiopeia, "Don't talk to Talon about _glances_." Her tail comes up from under the table and the tip of it flicks her sister's nose. Katarina fumes and throws a nasty glare at the lamia. "Especially when he knows all about _mine._" A long, pointed finger traces a line from the base of his neck up to his chin and she smiles, revealing pointed fangs. "So sad, watching them run away because I might so much as _look_ at them. I really _am_ hideous aren't I?" The insincere frown upon her faces disappears, replaced with a smug grin. "Oh, but in that terrible miasma, where they're choking and struggling to run, they always sneak a glance at me. Broken stone strewn across the ground. Unless the poison gets them first." A chill runs up the cursed woman's spine. "That's what fear of a glance is sister." Talon opens his mouth speak, and Katarina looks ready to cut him off. Cassiopeia seems content to smile fiendishly at both of them.

_Sip. Blacklance Cyser. Water, Bandlebee Honey, Saccharomyces noxianus produced ethanols, fresh juice from malus noxianus. Fermented. Simple, clean, refreshing. Note: There is a definite improved ethanol yield from the increased alcohol tolerance of Saccharomyces demacius if a stronger brew is desired._

I chuckle madly. "No Noxian brewery in their right mind would import it though!" I hadn't been sitting at their table; I wasn't invited to this cozy gathering. Makes plenty of sense, I'm rarely invited anywhere unless my services are in order. "While you three bickered I discovered the ingredient of this (very fine) Cyser. Cheers to you Blacklance, brew you most certainly can. Now, what is it that you were all arguing about? Oh right, techniques, fearing the enemy and causing pain and suffering." I stand and stride to their table and pull the front of Talon's hood past his eyes. "I don't need stealth. I don't need fancy knives. I don't need petrifying stares." I lean towards Cassiopeia and mutter, "The poison's a great touch though." Cackling I pull a vial from my pocket and uncork it. Fumes billow out; it has an extremely high vapor pressure and could fill the room in seconds if I dropped it.

So I drop it. The fumes billow out, circle around the table and flood the tavern. I pull my bandages over my mouth and began to laugh all the harder. "All I need is poison! Who needs fear? You all can do the rest!" Laughter begins to erupt in the tavern as the chemicals get to work; nonlethal, but certainly not pleasant. Uncontrollable laughter is never pleasant. "It's simple! Just chase me!" I bowl over tables and patrons as I run to the door and kick it wildly off it's hinges. "I'm the piper and you're all the rats," I holler into the tavern as guffawing patrons begin to scramble towards me. I see Talon, Katarina and Cassiopeia making their way towards me at the head of the pack; behind their flapping grins are eyes of pure malice. Red faces and collapsing bodies skirt them. Just like on the rift.

These won't die though, at least they shouldn't if I didn't make any mistakes, all of Noxus would have my head if I did. Still I run out into the courtyard in front of the tavern and turn back to watch the crowd filing out, laughing and stumbling towards me, broken bottles, knives and other weapons in hand. I grin at them and with an about-face I'm off, full sprint. I can still hear the laughing crowd behind me. A little too closely behind me.

_Sip._ _Usual ingredients. Usual effects._

Now they're a comfortable distance behind. Just like on the rift. The buildings are warping and pulsing, saturating and desaturating in color as I streak past. Now seems as good a time as any for a tour of Noxus. I never really sight-see all that much while I'm here. Shame I haven't a destination in mind.

At least the company is good.


End file.
